The world of fighting games is often hosting characters from other media. Some of the biggest fighting games include characters from movies, tv shows, and even comics. Some games go beyond just a few guest characters though. There are fully dedicated Marvel fighting games out there. These titles have included some real standouts across the entire genre.
There are tons of great fighting games that feature characters from comics, but if you want to focus specifically on Marvel, then these are some of the top fighting games.
Best Marvel Fighting Games
5. Marvel Contest of Champions
Marvel Contest of Champions is one of the few Marvel fighting game that doesn’t hail from Capcom! This one was originally a mobile game, but it was such a success it eventually got arcade machines too. It’s a fighting game where you play as various Marvel characters in a style similar to Injustice. This was a free fighting game and had an impressive amount of content.
4. X-Men Vs Street Fighter
Before there was Marvel vs Capcom, there were these earlier crossover Marvel fighting games. X-Men Vs Street Fighter is a Marvel fighting game that uses the style of a Street Fighter, but contains characters from Marvel’s X-Men too. This 1997 game is notable for starting the Marvel Capcom series.
3. Marvel Super Heroes Vs Street Fighter
The directs sequel to X-Men Vs Street Fighter, this game expanded the title out to include the whole of Marvel! You could now use a lot of different characters rather than just the X-Men. It also introduced the variable assist that’s become a key part of Marvel V Capcom.
2. Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite
The latest instalment in Marvel V Capcom is Infinite. This takes the mechanics of the game back to its original style. It also cuts the teams down to 2-v-2 rather than 3s. However, it does introduce a new combo system, and an infinity stone mechanic. It also has a story mode, if you want a more expansive experience from your Marvel fighting games. This one isn’t the most popular for competitive fighting, but if you want something more casual it’s the most accessible in the series.
1. Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3
The Marvel Vs Capcom is probably the premier Marvel fighting game. This is a series which mashes the world of Marvel comics up with the fighting game characters from Capcom, the developers of Street Fighter.
This game is a 3-v-3 fighter, where you pick three characters out of the entire Marvel and Capcom roster to take on an opponent. You can switch between characters by using assists. The mechanics of gameplay are as tight and rewarding as you’d expect from Capcom. This game is still played at some of the biggest fighting game esports tournaments too.
3 is the most polished version of the game that’s still pretty widely available. All three are worth checking out though. This Ultimate edition brings a lot more content into the game and is much more well-remembered with fans of the series than Infinity.
Those are some of the best Marvel fighting games. There might be more joining this list in the future though. Leaks from 2022 indicated that EA was working on their own Marvel fighting game, so we might see an upcoming fighting game devoted entirely to the world of Marvel comics.